The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicles, and particularly to an airbag connection system.
Those in the automotive arts are well-familiar with airbag systems that deploy an inflatable airbag when an automotive vehicle crashes in order to protect the occupants. Typically, an airbag system includes one or more airbag modules installed in areas that are most likely to come into contact with an occupant during a crash and thus possibly injure the occupant. For example, it is common practice to install airbag modules in or around the steering wheel, in front of the passenger seat, and along the sides of the doors. As those in the art well-know, an airbag module normally includes an airbag, an inflating system and an activation system. The details of how airbag modules are constructed are well-known and not particularly important to the invention described herein, thus further description at this point is unnecessary.
Since an airbag module is only used during a crash (i.e., the airbag deploys during a crash but remains in a wait state the rest of the time), it is desirable to install the airbag modules unobtrusively within or behind various interior panels in the vehicle (e.g., in the steering wheel, behind the instrument panel, and behind the door panels). In order to satisfy the aesthetic demands of vehicle users, it is important to ensure that the fit and finish of all of the panels in the vehicle line up and fit smoothly together. As those in the art generally know, it can be a difficult, time-consuming and costly effort to ensure an acceptable fit and finish for all of the interior panels, in part due to the sheer complexity of modern vehicle interiors.
Automotive vehicle manufacturers must also be concerned with energy management issues related to the airbag modules. For example, airbag modules typically experience two different types of events that require energy management. Those two events include impacts to the interior panels which are transferred to the airbag module in cases where the airbag module does not deploy and actual deployment of the airbag module during a major crash. These two events require considerably different energy management techniques, which in some respects involve contradictory issues.
During an impact to the airbag module in which the airbag module does not deploy, vehicle manufacturers must be concerned with ensuring that the impacted area absorbs energy. This concern relates to the expected event in which an occupant is thrown forward during a minor crash or an overly harsh application of the brakes. The occupant may then impact against the interior panel that covers the airbag module (usually with the occupant's head) which results in the impact energy being transferred to the airbag module. (The airbag module by its very essence is likely to be impacted during these types of situations since the airbag modules are located where serious impacts during crashes are expected to occur.) During these types of impacts, the airbag module should absorb sufficient energy to avoid major injury to the person impacting the airbag module. The government's Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 201 is addressed to this concern. For example, during sudden vehicle decelerations in which the airbag does not deploy, FMVSS 201 requires the deceleration of a head impact test form to be within a certain range for a given time interval.
On the other hand, during actual deployment of the airbag module in a major crash, vehicle manufacturers must be concerned with ensuring that energy is conserved for deployment of the airbag. Thus, during a major crash in which the airbag deploys, the airbag module should remain rigidly connected to the vehicle structure so that the full energy of the deploying airbag is used to force the airbag out towards the vehicle interior and to resist the forward movement of the occupant. Therefore, in this situation it is undesirable for the deploying energy to be dissipated, or absorbed, by the airbag module.
It is also desirable to avoid major damage to the structure of the vehicle, which often occurs as the result of significant impacts to the airbag module. Airbag modules typically must be connected to the structure of the vehicle to ensure that the airbag properly deploys during a crash and protects the occupants from high acceleration forward motion. However, because the airbag module is connected to the vehicle structure, it is common for the vehicle structure to be damaged along with the airbag module during an impact. This significantly increases the cost of repair, since the airbag module and the entire structure connected to the airbag module must often be replaced.
In addition to the issues discussed above, automotive vehicle manufacturers must also be concerned with the cost of vehicle parts and assembly. Manufacturers continuously strive to minimize the cost of providing automotive vehicles in order to make profits, compete successfully in the marketplace, and satisfy consumer demand for low cost, high performance vehicles. Thus, vehicle manufacturers are actively seeking solutions that minimize costs while providing better vehicle performance.